Professor of Social Work at the Faculty of Social Sciences (University of Valencia) and researcher at the Interuniversity Institute for Local Development. IV Dolors Artamans Social Research Award and VII National Social Research Award.

For 30 years she has worked as a social worker with a special interest in the public social services system and psychosocial intervention. She was secretary of the Professional Association of Social Work of Valencia.

Her lines of research are social intervention methods, family and family justice based on Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy's contextual model, clinical social work, and professional and identity issues in social work. She is the director of the Social Work collection at Editorial Nau Llibres.

Joan Lacomba Vázquez holds a Diploma in Social Work, a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Sociology, and a PhD in Sociology. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Valencia. His research has focused on migration and its links to development, as well as immigrant associations and NGOs working in the field of migration. He has conducted research stays at centers and universities in Belgium, France, Tunisia, Morocco, Ecuador, and Chile.

He has published, among other works, the book *Immigrant Islam*. Transformations and Adaptations of Cultural and Religious Practices (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, 2001), after receiving the first Marqués de Lozoya Cultural Research Prize from the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as "Migrations and Development in Morocco" (La Catarata, 2004), the result of a research project awarded by the La Caixa Foundation. She has coordinated the volumes Immigration in Spanish Society: A Multidisciplinary Overview (Edicions Bellaterra, 2008), From Migration as a Problem to Migration as an Opportunity: Co-development and Migratory Movements (La Catarata, 2010), Diasporas and Development from Spain: A Study on the Role of Immigrant Associations in the Development of Countries of Origin (Comares, 2016), The Moroccan Diaspora and its Contributions to Host Countries: Unveiling a Hidden Value (IEHL and Mohamed V University, 2018), and NGOs and Immigrant Associations in Spain: A Guide of best practices regarding their cooperation (Comares, 2019) and The Contribution of Immigration to Spanish Society (OPI, 2020). He has also published scientific articles in the journals Cuadernos de Trabajo Social, Alternativas, Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, International Migration Journal, Revista Internacional de Sociología, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, Revista Migraciones, Revista Migraciones Internacionales, International Review of Sociology, New Diversities, Voluntas Journal, Revista Española de Sociología, Revista de Estudios Sociales, Revista Iberoamericana de Estudios del Desarrollo, Two Homelands, and Journal of International Migration and Integration.

He has directed the R&D projects “Diasporas and Co-development from Spain: The Role of Immigrant Associations in the Development of Countries of Origin” (CSO2011-22686); “The Contribution of Migrant Associations to Spanish Civil Society.” “New organizational models and relationships with Non-Governmental Development Organizations” (CSO2015-66181-R); “Migration, climate change and development cooperation. Flows, impacts and policy coherence in the cases of Morocco and Senegal in relation to Spain” (PID2021-122559NB-I00); “Climate change, migration and water. Dynamics of mobility and development among women in Morocco and Senegal” (PID2024-155690NB-I00).

He directs the InMIDE research group on migration and development processes at the University of Valencia.

He holds a Diploma in Nursing from the University of Valencia and a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Alicante, where he also obtained a Master's degree in Nursing Science and a Master's degree in Health Sciences Research. His training has been complemented by teaching stays at various European and Latin American universities. He began his professional career in 1996 as a staff nurse, working in various health centers and hospitals of the Valencian "Conselleria de Sanitat i Salut Pública", as well as in private entities such as the El Castillo Geriatric Clinic, POVINET, and FREMAP. In 2018, he obtained a permanent position as General Supervisor at the Valencian Ministry of Health, where he has carried out healthcare management and team coordination duties. His clinical activity has been complemented by participation in nursing quality committees, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and healthcare research, contributing to the improvement of professional practice.

In the field of teaching, he has worked since 2010 as an associate professor, collaborator, and lecturer at the University of Valencia, currently holding a position as a Full Professor. He has taught undergraduate, master's, and doctoral courses, as well as postgraduate and non-formal education, accumulating more than 800 hours of specialized teaching. He has coordinated subjects and courses in the Nursing Degree program and was the fourth-year coordinator between 2015 and 2019. He has also been the director of the Master's program "Care for People with Infection" since 2018. He has supervised numerous undergraduate and master's theses and co-directed doctoral dissertations that received the highest distinction, Cum Laude. He is also known for his commitment to students' practical training, a commitment recognized with the Quality Mention awarded by the University-Business Foundation as an external internship supervisor.

His research has focused on priority areas such as health literacy, gender equity and the right to health, ageism in hospitals, the digital divide and care for vulnerable groups, and cultural competence in sexual and gender diversity. He is the founder and director of the GRIECE research group (GIUV2019-45), through which he has spearheaded new projects. He has participated in more than thirty competitive research projects and knowledge transfer agreements, serving as principal investigator on several of them. Among his contributions, his regional coordination of the multicenter project "Complexity of Care in Public Hospitals of the National Health System," funded by the Carlos III Health Institute, stands out.

His scientific output comprises more than forty publications in journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and Scientific Journal of Research (SJR), predominantly in the first and second quartiles (Q1 and Q2), as well as book chapters published by prestigious publishers such as Elsevier. The impact of his research is reflected in over 1,000 citations on Google Scholar, an h-index of 17, and the awarding of two six-year research periods recognized by the CNEAI (2013–2018 and 2019–2024), meeting the requirements to apply for a third in the 2025–2029 period. He has supervised four doctoral theses defended in recent years and has presented over one hundred papers at national and international conferences, also serving as a member of scientific and organizing committees.

In academic administration, he has held positions of responsibility such as Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry at the University of Valencia, in addition to having been department head, internship coordinator, and head of international programs. She has also been a member of the Teaching Innovation Project Evaluation Committee (PDI) between 2021 and 2025, and is part of the consolidated teaching innovation group GEDI (GCID23_2588214). She has coordinated and participated in inter-university educational innovation projects and has promoted teacher training activities, with a particular focus on active methodologies such as advanced clinical simulation.

Her career has been recognized with various professional and academic awards. In 2019, she received Second Prize in the Clinical-Malvarrosa Department's Healthcare Innovation Ideas Competition. In addition, she maintains extensive ongoing professional development to ensure the continuous updating of her knowledge and skills. Within the healthcare sector, she holds Level IV of the Professional Career Track at the Valencian Ministry of Health. In the academic field, he is a Full Member of the Nursing Academy of the Valencian Community, has received recognition as a tutor and has been awarded in the MOTIVEM program (finalist in 2015 and winner in 2016).

Angel Joel Méndez López is a Permanent Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Social Services at the University of Valencia. He holds a degree in Psychology, a degree in Law, a degree in Social Work, a Master's degree in Community Development, a PhD in Development Cooperation, a PhD in Social Sciences and a Postdoctorate in Social Work. His research has focused on three main areas: community intervention and inclusive programmes; diversity management and intercultural coexistence; and psychosocial intervention and professional communication. 
He has carried out postdoctoral research stays in countries such as Chile, Mexico and Cuba, while also participating in R&D&I projects in various Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and the United States. He has received the following awards: National Prize from the Cuban Academy of Sciences for scientific research in 2025 for the product Psychosocial Intervention Experiences. Studies in Cuba and Spain and, with the same result, the CITMA Prize for research at the provincial level in 2025. CITMA Award for 
provincial-level research in 2025 for Social Psychology: Basic Aspects. Award from the Rector of the Marta Abreu Central University of Las Villas for the most scientifically impactful result in 2025 in Social Sciences and Humanities for the scientific product Psychosocial Intervention Experiences: Studies in Cuba and Spain. 
Studies in Cuba and Spain. Award from the Rector of the Central University ‘Marta Abreu’ of Las Villas for the innovation with the greatest impact on society, with the result Social Psychology. Basic aspects; and Gaspar Jorge García Galló 
Award 2025, for high-impact scientific contributions from the Sciences of Education to transform university education.

Degree in Social Work and Sociology. PhD in Sociology. Master in Ethical Governance and Artificial Intelligence.

Lines of research: Social impact of digital transformation; Social and Employment Policies; Applied Ethics; Ethics and Artificial Intelligence; Citizen Participation.

Member of the Chair of Digital Gender Gap. UV.

Member of the research group on Social Structure and Social Inequality. IPRODES

Collaborates with research group TRANSICIONS: employment, social inequality. UV.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[ Automatic translation ]

Jota (José Javier) Navarro-Pérez is a Doctor with Extraordinary Prize in Local and Territorial Development from the University of Valencia. He has a diploma in Social Work and a degree in Criminology. Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Services, researcher of the GESinn Group and collaborator of the ARTEC Real-Time Graphic Engineering Group. His main lines of work focus on childhood and adolescence at risk, delinquency and youth transitions, violence and Latino gangs, social change and socialization processes, with attention to the social impact of digitization on adolescents and young people.
He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in disciplines such as Social Work, Criminology, Psychology and Education, as well as Master's and Doctorate programs at different universities. It also participates in the training of university teachers through specialized courses in teaching methodologies, conflict management in the classroom and research strategies with mixed methods.
Author of more than 150 publications indexed in journals and databases of scientific impact. Coordinator of several books and monographs. Co-author - together with Nolo Tarín, in 2026 - of the book "Adolescentes in risk; experiences and reflections from the socio-educational intervention", Tirant lo Blanch.
He is currently IP of the European Project VET PARTICIPATION, RETENTION, AND EDUCATIONAL POLICIES IN THE WAKE OF COVID 19 – A CROSS-COUNTRY EXPLORATION (HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-10 - Grant Agreement ID: 101177858 - (2025-2027). This is a comparative European research focused on the analysis of the processes of identification, participation and student retention in Vocational Training (VET), with special attention to young people from vulnerable contexts.The study analyzes public policiesand educational strategies in the voices of educational communities in Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Scotland and Spain, based on the collaboration between universities and research teams in these countries.
He has directed competitive interdisciplinary research projects with areas of Engineering, Psychology, Sociology and Pedagogy, with results of transfer and social impact: https://dap360.es/](https://dap360.es/ https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/videos/listado-videos/app-liad-prevencion-violencia-genero-adolescentes-1285868042985/Recurs.html?idu003d1286022575300]( https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/videos/listado-videos/app-liad-prevencion-violencia-genero-adolescentes-1285868042985/Recurs.html?idu003d1286022575300
He is Coordinator of the Consolidated Group of Educational Innovation CIDES-CR Ref: GCID23-2577102 (Teaching Skills and Innovation in Higher Education - Risk Groups) and of the State Network of Teaching Innovation with Childhood, Adolescence, Youth and Society -REIDIAJS 8.0-. Teaching innovation materials prepared in documentary format: https://www.uv.es/catedra-luis-amigo/es/investigacion/proyectos/herramientas-audiovisuales/documentales-analisis-intervencion/ritmos-coma.html
https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/universidad-valencia/video-clip-musical-mundo-cambia-cambias-tu-1285845048380/Recurs.html?idu003d1285978573445
https://www.youtube.com/watch?vu003dLntmFAvLjyU
He has directed 10 doctoral theses and 5 currently in process.
Visiting professor and researcher at the University of Cologne and University of Münster (Germany), University of Malta, Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), Luis Amigó Catholic University Medellin and University of Manizales (Colombia), ESAN and National Mayor University of San Marcos (Lima), Salesian Polytechnic University and Simón Bolívar Andean University (Ecuador). He is a member of both national and international research networks:Ociogune, Estrategi@s, REDidi and REJS http://juventudysociedad.net/presentacion/
He is director of the Luis Amigó Chair at the University of Valencia for the promotion of childhood, adolescence and youth at risk https://www.uv.es/catedra-luis-amigo/es/catedra-luis-amigo.html
From 2022 he is director of the Permanent Training and Educational Innovation Service (SFPIE-UV).
More references:

Scientific Production https://producciocientifica.uv.es/investigadores/334204/detalle

ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6363-7154

Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?useru003da_nT6SkAAAAJ&hlu003des
 

[ Automatic translation ]

FRANCISCO JOSÉ RÓDENAS RIGLA is a social worker, PhD in Sociology, full professor at the University of Valencia and researcher at the Polibienestar Research Institute, where he coordinates the PhD programme in ‘Design, management and evaluation of public social welfare policies’. He currently teaches at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the same university, where he gives undergraduate and postgraduate courses on topics related to research in social welfare systems, social and health care, and new technologies. He is also director of the Official Master's Degree in Social Work in Health Care.

With 33 years of experience in teaching and research (four six-year research periods and one transfer period), he leads a line of research on the efficiency and quality of long-term care systems. He has published the results of his research in journals included in the WoS-Journal Citation Reports, such as Health Policy, Health and Social Care in the Community, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Cities, Social Indicators Research and European Journal of Ageing. He is co-author of some thirty book chapters and/or books on welfare and social and health care services published by renowned publishers such as Routledge, McGraw Hill, Palgrave Macmillan and Tirant lo Blanch. He has participated in 48 European research projects, has led four competitive R&D&I projects linked to the National Research Plan, and has been part of the research team or principal investigator in more than 50 research contracts with public administrations and companies. He has carried out research fellowships in the United Kingdom (University of Kent and London School of Economics and Political Science) and in the Netherlands (VU University Amsterdam -Vrije Universiteit-).

Enric Sigalat Signes holds a PhD in Sociology and is a sociologist and social worker from the University of Valencia, where he works as a teaching and research staff member (PDI). He carries out his research work at the University Institute for Local Development, as a member of the Territorial Development Research Group (GRIDET). His research career focuses on participating in and coordinating competitive projects and contracts at the local, regional, national and European levels, with a clear focus on knowledge transfer and the profile of an applied social scientist-practitioner. He has more than 150 publications to his name, including articles in high-impact indexed journals, book chapters, monographs and scientific contributions to conferences, in areas such as local development, social research methodology, mixed methods, inclusive smart cities and citizen participation. He has carried out research and teaching stays at national and international universities. He has experience in the management and direction of university chairs, as well as in coordination and academic management tasks, and has a proven track record in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, supervision of final degree projects, master's theses and doctoral theses, as well as a sustained career in teaching innovation.